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This Week We Discuss Panamanian F-words

So…do you like F-words? Of course you do, who doesn’t? This past weekend I (and many people in Pedasi) got to use many Panamanian F-words. Warning, this post may contain scenes of violence, nudity and coarse language. Viewer discretion is advised.

Fishing: Yep, fishing, or pescando if you prefer Spanish. This past weekend was the annual fishing tournament in Pedasi, part of a group of fishing tournaments in Panama that go from the Pearl Islands up to Puerto Armuelles. I don’t fish much – okay, I don’t fish at all, in fact I can’t tell the difference between mahi-mahi and dorado, but it was neat watching the fishermen haul in their catch to be weighed.

Weighed, measured…and found wanting?

First Day…Four Men…Four Hours…and F@ckall to show for it: Friends of ours own a boat, so naturally, they entered the tournament. I met up with the boat owner (and Casa Lajagua owner), Craig Lewis, that night and he told me about his fish tale. Their team hooked a massive marlin – not even a tournament fish. That didn’t matter. I guess when you hook something that size you do what you can to reel it in. Well, the four dudes did just that. Each man had fits fighting the feisty fish, over the course of four hours they fought with fatigued forearms, but it failed to be their fortune as four voices yelled FUDGE! The line broke and they were left with a picture of the one that got away and a great story.

Photo courtesy Craig Lewis (and the Marlin)

Fotos: (Hey, it starts with an F in Spanish so F off). I love foto opportunities, especially at events like this where everyone’s having a fricken awesome time. Just look how festive these four fine females are at the fishing fiesta….funny, not one of them have an F in their name.

Another F-word…females!

Fiestas: Saturday was a pretty fun day. We met up with some friends at the beach after the boats came in. You could tell the fishermen/women were tired, but they’re a tough breed those fishing folk. We bought beers, they bought beers, we drank beers, they drank beers. It was a good time. Sunday came and it second verse, same as the first, only it just started a few hours earlier (and ended a few hours earlier for this lightweight).

Fun, Family and Friends: A few of our friends took part in the tourney, sadly they didn’t catch much – nothing worth weighing or keeping so it was catch and release. I’ve been told the tourney started two weeks earlier than last year, so the weights were down across the board. If the fish don’t have anything to eat in the area, they aren’t going to come to the area. But that didn’t stop the fine folks in the Fishing tourney from having a fantastically fun time. Tomorrow’s another day, right? But it’s always nice to see these types of events in Panama. Family always gets involved. Kids play in the water, mom’s and dad’s tip a few back, and the family and friends are all there having fun.

The ice cream dude even made an appearance!

Well, there you have it. A Panamanian F-word filled fin de semana (weekend) in fishing friendly Pedasi. And if you’re wondering where the nudity was in the post…haha…Fooled ya.